A little travel log - Cedros Design District - Solana Beach, CA

We got out and did some shopping just up the coast the other day. If you are in the San Diego area then you have got to check out Solana Beach. It is a sleeply little beach village between Encinitas and Del Mar. If you are going by train - it has it's own stop right there across the street from the Cedros Design District. THE place to shop for all things Cool!

One of my favorite places is SoLo, a very nice warehouse with lost of sophisitcated merchants selling everything from vintage religious iconic stuff to mid-century modern pieces and sprinkled with asian antiques and topped with hip childrens goodies. Pictured above is a sweet little bowl of ceramic blue birds - a total must have!

Religious iconic goodness - I would like to get more of that going at Soul of the Rose.

Mixture of vintage silver, asian statuary and bits of whatever!

We always stop at Bon Bon too. These pictures don't do it justice. Imagine Shabby Chic meets a "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane".

They manage to take a sometimes too sweet decor and set it just on it's edge where you think "That's a little spooky"

We finished up with a great lunch out and then went home for a nap....

Tales from the couch...

So when I am sick – and I am still sick if you can believe that, I end up doing a lot of couch time. I have had more than my share of daytime TV. Here is what I can report on daytime TV: Americans most be having some serious problems with acne and erectile dysfunction because Proactive acne skin care, Viagra and Enzite ads run continuously like a video loop 24-7! Also, as it has been winter, there are lots of Snugie ads, a ridiculous product in my opinion! My other profound observation is that we as a people must be taking a lot of medications that produce unbelievable side affects. Some of the medication ads - I don’t even know what they are for - but the side effects may cause unbelievably horrible conditions that I think you may be better off just not taking that medication and suffer with your ailment. And why is America all of a sudden having such a love affair with Probiotics? Could it be all the cheeseburgers piling up?? Well as you can see I have had waaaay to much TV time.

The good news is that in between coughing, nausea, hacking and snorting I managed to work on quite a few craft projects and I will be starting to take photos and preparing to upload them on to the site this weekend. I have wanted to create more original hand-made items and, well, you can only lie around the couch for so long as you recuperate. So be sure to check back soon I will post some pictures of the new goodies very soon. Stay healthy!

Whatever you do, do not get this cold flu thing…

I have been away for all sorts of reasons lately – just busy I guess wearing myself down so that when the virus came along I was rightly acceptable to it. All I can tell you is wash your hands a lot. Take your vitamins and get the required amount of rest.

I am sure I picked this up at the wonderful Indian wedding we attended with some 500 people in attendance this last weekend. I think that is a good guess because my husband has it too. The wedding was really beautiful and the first Indian wedding I had ever been to. I really loved all the beautiful saris that were so colorful! The food was wonderful and everyone was happy and warm and inviting. However we shook hands with everyone just about so there you have it!

So I am going home to bed because my fingernails hurt and the hair on my head hurts. Why or why when you get a virus do these strange aches and pains come on? Who knew that my left forearm could hurt so much for absolutely no good reason? Well, that is about all the complaining form me for one day.

Stay healthy!

Positive Thoughts for a New Year

I bet a lot of people are entering this New Year with trepidation. It certainly sounds scary if you listen to the news. I hope the new President is brave, if it were me I might have been tempted to say “You know, I change my mind, it’s not really the job I signed on for now.” But leaders don’t do that.

We had a particularly hard holiday season in our family this year as we lost our beloved Uncle Jim. The only bright spot there was the recognition that I am better for having known such a loving and caring man. And his wife and children are all so wonderful. I wish them peace.

So along with holiday parties we had funerals and wakes. That is the roller coaster of life. Our close knit family probably had too much time spent with some and not enough time spent with others. It is always interesting when we get together – this year proved to be no different. I love each and every person in my big family.

At the beginning of 2009 I learned that sometimes when you love someone you just have to let them go. I learned that sometimes fighting to hold on to someone is not always the right thing to do. It felt like I had been reaching down the edge of a tall cliff just barley catching hold of this long loved person’s hand and it just became too hard to hold on any longer. Letting go and watching them fall never entered my mind, it was my natural reflex to stretch out my hand and try to pull them up. I learned that it may be presumptuous to think that everyone wants to be caught and hoisted up. There is some guilt with letting go. But I have learned that sometimes it is freeing to both people when you let go.

So, where are the positive thoughts you may ask?

Through the highs and lows of the coming year

I wish each of you health, happiness and love.

I wish each of you the inspiration to find a way to give of your self in a way that is unique to you.

I wish each of you abundance and the recognition of your abundance and so I wish you all gratitude.

I wish you all peace and the ability to find peace of mind no matter the circumstance.

I wish you creativity in the face of adversity and the joy of that flowing expression.

I wish you calm quiet reflection and the strength to greet the lessons that will be learned.

I wish you the bravery to create a life that is rich, full and overflowing with the stuff that makes you wish your days would never end.

Here is to 2009, may it be a great year!